Out goes Lord Wurm, in comes new vocalist Matt McGachy and keyboard player Maggy Durand. The result is Unpsoken King, the latest release from Canadian technical extremists Cryptopsy. While many of the trademark characteristics of the band remain-such as blood curdling vocals, gymnastic drum work, and technical as hell guitar riffs, there are a few surprises here. First of all, McGachy sounds nothing like Lord Wurm, his style has more in common with some of the deathcore singers on the scene today, and he even (gasp!) throws in some clean vocals here and there, first appearing on the tune "Bemoan the Martyr" alongside some spooky keyboard washes. However, musically speaking, Unspoken King still sees the band delivering their brand of brutal death/grind, complete with Flo Mournier's dynamic drum blasts and plenty of crushing, intricate riffage from Alex Auburn & Chris Donaldson. Take a listen to "Leach", a ridiculously complex slice of technical death metal, yet also featuring some serious melody to go along with the insanity. It barely sounds like Cryptopsy on "The Plagued", and "Anoint the Dead" sees the band giving their take on the whole 'screamo' thing, complete with Mournier's jackhammer drum work. At times, some of the rhythms here have an almost Meshuggah-ish feel, so expect plenty of bottom heavy grooves and lots of stop/start passages.
So, how does Unspoken King stack up as a Cryptopsy album? Pretty damn good. Sure, many longtime fans will no doubt have problems with some of the material here, but I think that the band is sure to expand their audience with this one. This platter is certain to appeal to not just technical death metal fans, and you have to give the guys credit for changing things up a bit here. "Bound Dead" especially is a track that has great appeal to lots of different extreme metal listeners, with its combination of technical death metal and hardcore influences, and a nice mix of extreme and clean vocals. Well done guys.
Track Listing
01.Worship Your Demons 02:12
02.The Headsmen 05:15
03.Silence the Tyrants 04:09
04.Bemoan the Martyr 04:11
05.Leach 04:48
06.The Plagued 04:10
07.Resurgence of an Empire 04:40
08.Anoint the Dead 03:20
09.Contemplate Regicide 05:29
10.Bound Dead 06:26
11.(Exit) the Few 02:31
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